Genetics of Neurogastroenterologic Disorders

​Beate Niesler UniversityHospital Heidelberg Institute of Human Genetics Department of Human Molecular Genetics Im Neuenheimer Feld 366 69120 Heidelberg   Phone.:  +49 6221 56 35274 Fax.:  +49 6221 56 51 55 Email:  beate.niesler@med.uni-heidelberg.de Websites:  https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/humangenetik/forschung/ag-niesler https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/humangenetik/forschung/ag-niesler/ncounter-core-facility

Research Summary:

Beate Niesler has a longstanding interest in neuropsychiatric disorders and in particular the serotonin type 3 receptor system. During the last few years her attention was caught on diseases of the gut-brain axis in which the communication between the second brain of the gut (enteric nervous system, ENS) and the brain is disturbed. Within the last decade it became more and more evident that disturbances within the gut-brain axis may have a certain impact on brain development and pathogenesis of diseases not restricted to the gut. Her team therefore aims to nail down genes involved in the pathogenesis of neurogastroenterologic diseases such as eating disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression. Applying various murine and human cell models they aim to contribute to a better understanding of the role of genes and epigenetic factors shaping gut-brain interaction. More recently, they started working on a neurodevelopmental disorder of the gut termed Hirschsprung’s disease in which the ENS does not develop properly leading to its (partial) lack within the gut.

Besides her research group ‘Genetics in Neurogastroenterologic Disorders’, Beate is heading the nCounter Core Facility Heidelberg.

Structure of the Group: